Silent Crown

Chapter 284 The Gate of Traitors

Red-hot fire burned under black clouds. Lightning danced crazily between the clouds. Furious waves tossed in the limitless sea. Chaotic vortices appeared one after another before crashing and disappearing the next moment. The skies and earth cracked apart under the fulminations.

A majestic yet unclear sound rose, shaking the earth. Shadowy flames burned above the silver-white throne. The sitting figure looked down at the pure white city under his feet that was being invaded by the spreading fire.

The city was breaking apart. The flames pulled the carcasses away from the material world and sank into the deepest part of the aether sea together.

The giant shadow rose from the throne and unsheathed his sword. The dazzling light spread in all directions as if a blazing sun had descended to Earth. He pointed the sword to the sky but the flow of the blade suddenly extinguished. The blade shattered, the pieces shooting away. The man roared in the darkness and fell into the shadows.

He had fallen into eternal darkness. Eternally isolated.

"What a lonely ending," the Shaman murmured as he opened his eyes. The only sound in the quiet secret room was the gentle noises of the alchemist machine maintaining his life.

Ghosthand, sleeping in the corner, looked over. "What’s wrong?"

"I had a dream. It’s a bad premonition." The Shaman reached out for Ghosthand to help him up.

Candlelight shone through the hole in his chest and cast menacing spots of light on the wall behind him. One could vaguely see the shadows of the pulsing incomplete heart. Snot flowed from his nose as he stood. He looked sad and pitiful.

Ghosthand sighed and handed him a handkerchief.

"What day is it?" the Shaman asked.

"Sixteenth."

"Oh." The Shaman nodded. "It should be today, right? The astrologers told me that the Blue Moon will awaken within the Pure White Moon today. The stars will stop moving. After the power of Avalon’s Shadow enters the low tide, Elizabeth Tower’s power will be at its weakest point as well. If the parliament wants to act, they’ll choose today."

Ghosthand nodded. "Mr. Holmes already took what you prepared for him and set off. He came before he left but you were sleeping. He did not want to wake you."

"Did he say anything?"

"Nothing except to remind you to uphold your end of the deal."

Guilt flashed past the Shaman‘s eyes and he closed them. When he slowly opened them again, the twilight in them was gone. His eyes were determined once again. Like a blade cleaned of rust, it had a tinge of blazing light.

"Guard outside the door," he said. "Don’t let anyone come in."

Ghosthand nodded and left.

Silence returned to the room. The lone candle flickered before finally dying out. A pair of dimly glowing eyes closed in the duskiness. Darkness swallowed everything.

-

"He has arrived, he has arrived." That same night, Naberius shook his bell in the dark city of the demonic territory. "The great one has arrived, the lord has arrived, the dark officials have arrived! The followers shall arrive!"

Behind him, countless followers in red ceremonial robes began chanting the poems and songs in unison. Under the nightmarish recitations, the shell in Naberius’ hand broke apart.

The blood-colored shell shattered into a scarlet haze. The demon with an eagle’s head and a man’s body was called forth. He unfurled his wings, covering the moonlight, and cawed into the darkness. It was Malpas, one of the sixth incarnations of the natural catastrophe Kehlsteinhaus!

He looked down at the city that had fallen into the shadows. Heavy dissatisfaction appeared on his face. "Such pure power tainted by such dirty resentment…the scepter is forgotten, what a joke, what a joke…"

Layers of overlapping feathers sprouted from his back. Each one had an unclear face on it. The thousands of faces opened their mouths in unison and uttered with the same voice as Malpas, "Your Majesty sleeping in the shadows, the time for anger has arrived!"

Malpas raised the crystal eyeball high and called to the White Tower that shot up to the sky like an illusion, "Wake! Wake! Wake!"

The illusionary White Tower deep in the city instantly rumbled.

As the pivot swung, the lever moved, the gears rotated, and the enormous copper bell vibrated. The enchantment that enveloped the entirety of Avalon’s Shadow shook under the grave and terrorizing ringing. The darkness in the path of the sound waves surged wildly. Crazed shadows shot to the sky.

The eagle wing unfurled and countless feathers floated down into the shadows. Absorbing power, they transformed into thousands and thousands of pure black falcons. They swept past like a tidal wave.

The city of demons finally woke from its slumber. The demons that had been sealed in their spots felt the calling of the natural catastrophe and awoken one after another. They crawled out of their shells. Bathing in the cold moonlight, they howled.

The dead city instantly began moving. Downtown, midtown, uptown…they all began rotating with the Elizabeth Tower as the axis. Under the ear-splitting explosion, the illusionary White Tower solidified. The path hidden under layers of fog finally appeared. The gate of traitors had opened!

"Go, my servants." Looking down at the dark musicians on the ground, Malpas ordered seriously, "Offer all water and earth you see to Hyakume!"

"He has arrived!" the dark musicians chanted together as they stepped onto the path to the White Tower. "He has arrived!"

-

Amidst the quaking, a bloody vortex was activated soundlessly at the other end of the city. Figures in black cloaks walked out. Their cloaks fluttered in the furious wind. Above the cloaks, the silver-white emblem of the Red Dragon and sword seemed to come to life and roared soundlessly. They were the Royal Musician Division!

Jerome at the head bowed at the vortex behind him. "My Princess, thank you for your trouble."

At the other end of the vortex, a weakened girl nodded lightly. "Please do all you can in Her Majesty’s name to protect Anglo’s glory."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Jerome watched as the girl’s figure disappeared in the vortex. He turned and gazed at the royal musicians behind him. "Enter battle mode now. There will be no reinforcement here. Your names will not appear on any lists of those killed in action. If we fail, you will die here without anyone knowing. I hope you are already determined to return all glory to Anglo!"

"Return all glory to Anglo!" the royal musicians replied in unison. Their aether waves were entangled together.

"Good." Jerome nodded in satisfaction. "Are there any other questions?"

"Sir, I have a question." A young man in line raised his hand timidly.

Jerome furrowed his brows. "Yes?"

"Sir, I’m innocent! This is a mission for royal musicians so why does a technician like me have to go with?" Charles cried from the crowd. "Can you let me go back? I’m just here to provide technical guidance!"

Jerome’s brows furrowed more. "Yes, your mission is technical guidance, but didn’t Newton tell you that you have to be with the team?"

Charles froze and his face paled drastically. He wailed to the heavens, "Oh gods, Newton, you *sshole! You can’t do this to me! I want to see that *sshole! I’ve shed blood for the research institute! I’ve made achievements for Anglo! I want to see that *sshole."

Jerome clenched a fist and Charles’ voice cut off abruptly; he was shut up. He tried to say something to the musicians beside him but found he could not make any sound. All he could do was show his anger and feeling of being wronged.

Charles sat onto the ground shamelessly but the musicians on either side forced him up. He looked like he would rather die.

"Okay, no one should have any problems now." Jerome turned around and ordered, "Let’s go!"

Their destination—the Gate of the Traitors!

-

"Finally here." The youth with a bowler hat stood under the White Tower and looked up at the giant arch. Corpses long withered hung above the eerie arch. "The Gate of the Traitors," he murmured.

Tower Green, Cross Road, and the Gate of the Traitors were the three largest punishment grounds of Avalon. Tower Green imprisoned the major felons. Each year, musicians with serious crimes would be tossed into the Silver Cellar and be eroded to nothing by the wild aether there.

Cross Road was an execution ground. Criminals would be taken to the guillotine there and beheaded. Their blood flowed into a river. This large arch before the guillotine was just for the elites. The traitors of the country were hung from the gate!

Bloody words had been left by the executioners. Ever since the country was established, countless elites who had betrayed the nation put on robes and accessories and were hung here for an honorable death.

Hundreds of years had passed. The robe had turned to dust and the accessories no longer shone. Only the corpses still hung from the lock, swaying with the wind with an eerie song like a wind chime.

The youth walked through them like an apparition amidst the song and climbed the steps of the White Tower that pierced the black clouds. The tower stood upon steps and spun violently with the rest of the city. It had come out of the illusionary world and became tangible.

Twelve paths converged under it with twelve respective gates. There were no activation knobs on these gates. There was not even a crack as if they were solid blocks.

Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows. He reached out to knock and discovered that faint aether waves came from the door. There was also a faint rhythm…the iron gates had melded into the Elizabeth Tower. If he wanted to force it open, he would probably need something more powerful than the Avalon enchantment.

"So I can’t go in?"